Losing Home
by Negative-Hysteria
Summary: Mission after mission, the team encounters the same mysterious girl. Her motives unclear, half of the team is forced to team up with this mysterious character when the other half goes missing. After her connection with the team is revealed, the dynamic of the team will never be the same, especially when they constantly have to keep saving each other.
1. Chapter 1

In this fic, Flynn is a member of team good. My first Timeless story so, you know, comment and like and stuff. See ya

Nebraska, United States, 1942

The streets were more full of life than Wyatt had imagined they would be. People were rushing through the shops, greeting people with short "Hello's" and the occasional "Howdy". Cars made their way down the street, emitting engine noises so loud Wyatt found it hard not to recoil from them. His stomach was still turning from the trip thereHe was focused on a peculiar couple in flamboyant dress when someone slammed into his shoulder,

"Hey!" He said automatically in defense. When he turned to see who had bumped into him, all he saw was a flash of brown eyes before the person seemed to disappear.

Heads bobbed in front of him, the mixture of colors overloading his senses. Wyatt stood, perplexed, checking his pants to make sure his wallet and other belongings were still there. His eyes were scanning the crowd for whoever had bumped into him when he noticed a magazine at his feet that wasn't there before. The pages were wrinkled and dirty, but looked fresh enough that it appeared nobody had stepped on it. He picked it up and resumed looking, eventually spotting the pair of brown eyes. It was a girl-at least he assumed it was. She was standing on a milk carton at the corner with her nose, mouth, and hair all concealed by a dark blue scarf. Her eyes were scanning the street, her small head just barely popping up above the crowd. She was wearing a floral dress that reached her calves, the hem flowing carelessly in the rough winds. She seemed to be waiting for something, her fingers tapping her thigh anxiously. Her eyes wandered the streets until they met Wyatt's and her body went still. He opened his mouth to say something when she jumped down and sprinted away from him.

"Weird," Wyatt murmured to himself. He looked down at the crumpled magazine in his hands. The pages were folded back, leaving it open to an advertisement page. The ad was for a yellow car: A brand new 1942 Pontiac Streamliner, a unique looking car that he had seen driving around a few times since he'd arrived with the team. It wasn't until then that he heard Lucy's faint voice behind him.

"What?" Wyatt asked, his mind completely lost in thought. He tucked the magazine into his pocket and approached Lucy, Rufus, and Flynn who were discussing their plan of action. Emma had taken the mothership here, somewhere in the area. The specifics were minimal and unhelpful at most,

"Hotels," Lucy said louder, "It's getting late, I said we should look at places she could be staying for the night," Wyatt grunted in agreement and trailed off as Flynn suggested places to look. He had been focusing on a homeless man across the street when he heard the engine of a car getting louder and louder. Too loud. He turned his body around to see a familiar yellow car just feet away and fast approaching.

People say that time slows down in near death situations. Wyatt, however, could not say he agreed with this statement. Everything happened so fast-simultaneously even. The yelling, the flash of color, the pain…

There was so much commotion that he didn't know what to focus on first. He decided to focus on the most peculiar thing in his sight: the view of a girl running toward him.

More specifically, the view of her leaping and pushing him out of the way.

Before he could process anything, he went from standing in front of a shop window to being tackled to the ground. The two crashed to the sidewalk, rolling a few feet before landing painfully on the cement.

Wyatt's vision was dizzy and his senses were all off. He heard shouts, screams, and the peculiar sound of rushing water. It wasn't until he shook his head clear that he realized the car had hit a fire hydrant, causing it to spew water like a geyser.

He did a quick check of his limbs, assuring nothing was broken. He was lifting himself off the ground when he heard a low groan near him-well, more like below him. He looked down to see the same scarfed girl he had seen earlier. The girl's forehead was dripping with blood from a wound just above her eyebrow. Her eyes were closed, clinched in pain. Wyatt hadn't even noticed that he had landed on top of her, the weight of his body most likely breaking a few of her ribs. He was painfully attempting to lift himself up when something stopped him. He examined what he could see of the girl's face: she didn't look like she was much older than 15-maybe 16 at most. Her features were dark and her cheeks were spotted with freckles. Her eyebrows were dark and bushy and pieces of curly dark brown hair escaped from her scarf. Wyatt reached out then, wanting to pull her scarf back to see more of her face, curiosity getting the best of him. Before he could reach her face, however, her eyes flew wide open. Wyatt's hand halted in the air-as still as a statue.

Her eyes were wide in surprise and Wyatt could swear he heard her take in a sharp breath. She searched his face, eventually bringing her hands up to push Wyatt off of her. Wyatt would have been more than happy to oblige if it wasn't for what he saw in her eyes: A pair of color contact lenses, thin and plastic. Wyatt was no historian, but was highly confident that contacts like the ones resting in her eyes were far too modern for the times. In fact, he was positive that color contacts weren't invented until the early 1980's.

40 years from now.

Wyatt was lost in thought and barely noticed the girl squirming under him, attempting to get away. She was almost able to come to a standing position when all of the pieces clicked together in Wyatt's head. His hand shot out, catching her forearm in his strong grasp. She yelped as he turned her to face him,

"Wyatt!" Lucy yelled from far away. He looked up to see her, Flynn, and Rufus, their path to him blocked by the car-which had gone through the shop window, right where he had been standing. The fire hydrant still spewed water while his three companions were helping a few citizens who had gotten hurt.

"Wyatt!" Lucy shouted again. Wyatt looked back down at the girl, writhing in his gasp.

"You knew," Wyatt practically whispered,"You knew about the car, that's why you dropped that magazine for me. You knew it would hit me, so you saved me…" The girl did nothing but struggle, trying tirelessly to break free from his grasp. He reached out to her scarf, she swiped his hand away fiercely, "And your eyes...who are you?" At that, she punched Wyatt in the face, breaking free and running toward the car. She leaped over the hood, dashing right past Flynn,

"Flynn!" Wyatt yelled, gaining his composure and starting after her, "Go after her!" Flynn didn't hesitate, following the girl down the alley. Wyatt told Lucy and Rufus to stay and help the wounded people as he followed Flynn, who followed the girl, down the alley.

The Alley was dark and dirty, black fire escapes cascading down the sides of the two buildings. The girl hadn't gotten very far, her hand was holding her head-perhaps to stop the bleeding-and her other hand was pressed against her abdomen, Wyatt now positive he had caused her to break her ribs. She supported herself against the brick, struggling to continue. Wyatt and Flynn were close now, no more than 10 feet away. The girl stopped then, collapsing against the wall,

"Hey," Wyatt called, the girl did nothing to acknowledge him, her head facing the ground, "We don't want to hurt you, just tell us how you knew about the accident," Again, she said nothing. Wyatt motioned to Flynn, the two men now surrounded her against the wall. Flynn crouched down to where she sat against the wall, her legs curled up into her chest. She seemed weak, scared even,

"What is your name?" Flynn asked with an air of interrogation. She said nothing, shifting her body ever so slightly. Flynn looked up at Wyatt. In that moment, the girl sprang up, pushing Wyatt out of the way. Flynn's reflexes were fast, catching her and pinning her to the wall with his forearm. The girl looped her arm around his, trapping both arms and pulling him forward, elbowing him in the face, and tripping him, sending him hurtling to the ground. Wyatt was ready to strike, yet stunned at her fighting abilities. Before she could turn to face Wyatt, he grabbed her around the waist, looping another arm around her shoulders. She kicked up off the ground, attempting to loosen his hold on her but he wouldn't budge. She kicked everywhere, eventually kicking the brick wall, sending them both hurtling back, but Wyatt's hold on her stayed firm.

Flynn stood, holding his hand to his most likely broken nose.

"Color me impressed," Flynn said, making his way to where Wyatt was still trying to subdue the still struggling girl.

"Calm. Down." Wyatt called through laboured breaths. After a few seconds, she stopped writhing, exhausted and in pain. Wyatt looked at Flynn with confusion, "Uhh thanks," Wyatt exhaled. Flynn examined her, her eyes glaring back at him. He took a step forward, causing her to emit a low growl, her legs swinging out to kick him. Flynn dodged it, eyes full of caution,

"We aren't trying to hurt you, just tell us who you are and where you come from," Wyatt said,

"And when," Flynn added. She stayed silent, eyes glaring and unmoving,

"Well, here's what we know. You're covering your face,meaning we must know you- or at least recognise you- or else you wouldn't bother," Wyatt said, "And you knew the accident was coming, and you tried to warn me. When I didn't move out of the path of the car, you pushed me out of the way. So," Wyatt's mouth pressed against her ear, "You must care about me,"

The girl responded by staying completely still, eyes fixed on the ground. When she said nothing, Wyatt continued,

"I also know you aren't from this time, your contacts give you away," As if just noticing, Flynn narrowed his eyes, leaning in closer,

"Those are color contacts," Flynn said, almost in awe, "Well, we know you didn't get those anywhere around here," He continued with content. The men were silent, awaiting any kind of response from her. To urge her into speaking, Wyatt squeezed around her abdomen, right where her injured ribs were. She yelped in pain,

"Tell us," Flynn said sharply. She inhaled and, with a crooked grin, lifted her head high,

"Regarde dans votre livre," She hissed before an object flew at the trio. A boy, not much older than the girl, practically materialized behind Flynn. He engaged Flynn, swiping his legs from under him as the girl stepped on Wyatt's foot, wiggling loose enough to go free. She was facing Flynn now who was in a crouching position on the ground. He swung a few times, she dodged each one. On his third left hook, he hit her in the jaw, sending her flying and bracing against the wall. She turned to face him when he grabbed the scarf and pulled it from her face.

He got a quick look at her pink lips, freckled face, and scarred neck. She was pretty, and a teenager-younger than he expected her to be. She gasped, eyes wide, as her companion grabbed her hand, pulling her after him.

The two sprinted down the alley, the boy shouldering most of her weight. Wyatt grunted and sat up, turning towards Flynn,

"Did you get a look at her face?" He asked. Flynn nodded,

"Yeah, just barely but enough," He wheezed through laboured breaths. The two were stunned into silence,

"You speak french?" Wyatt asked,

"Not at all," Flynn responded,

"Wonderful."


	2. What If?

"Regarde dans votre livre? That's what she said?" Lucy asked, checking Wyatt's now eye,

"Yeah, something like that. What does it mean?" Flynn said, growing uncomfortable in the alley. They decided to stray away from the accident to avoid any contact with the local police. They moved over into an alley farther away to discuss what had happened,

"It means 'look in your book', which I'm guessing means my journal," Lucy said, detaching from Wyatt and joining Flynn and Rufus,

"How the hell does she know about your journal?" Rufus asked,

"I don't know," Wyatt responded, frustrated, "I don't know what any of it means." He leaned against the brick wall in deep thought while the other three stood at the center of the alley. Flynn shook his head, pacing back and forth. Lucy looked on,

"Um guys," She said, eyes fixed on something in the distance, "I think we have other things to worry about." In response, the three men looked to see what Lucy was referring to. Not 30 feet ahead, Emma sat loitering in front of a shop just across from the alley. She hadn't seen them, at these they hoped not. Wyatt sighed and pushed off from the wall,

"Alright," He groaned, his purple eye blinking painfully, "Guess it's back to work,"

. Present Day

"That's her face?" Lucy asked, approaching behind Wyatt who had been seated at the computer for almost two hours,

"Yes," Wyatt said without turning around. On the screen was a drawing, obviously done by a professional. It showed a young, unfamiliar face with curling brown hair. She looked like any average teenager, eyes wide and curious, lips slightly curled into a smile. Words were scribbled underneath the drawing, 'Age: approx 15 Weight: approx 125 / Height: Approx 5'6' '. Lucy couldn't explain why, but she was drawn to the picture, the girl's pleasant features emitted no emotions of malice,

"She's pretty," Lucy whispered with a smile, sitting down next to Wyatt, "Will you tell me why you care so much?"

"Do you know what this means? What she means?" Wyatt asked, eyes wide with an emotion Lucy couldn't decipher. Lucy shook her head, allowing Wyatt to continue, "She knows us, Luce, or at least me. She tried to blend in in 1942, but she didn't. She had items that weren't from that time and she knew that car was going to hit me," He paused, waiting for a response,

"I believe you," Lucy assured him, "I didn't see her, but if you say she wasn't from 1942 when was she from?"

"Now," Wyatt breathed, "Or the future, maybe even our future! She had a time machine, she had to if she time traveled. That means sometime, maybe soon, the Mothership is no longer going to be in our hands-"

"Or maybe it will," Lucy said with realization. Her face was twisted like it always was when she was thinking. Wyatt stared at her,

"You lost me,"

"Okay hear me out," She said, rising from her chair and turning around to lean against the desk, "You said she was wearing a scarf concealing her face, and she didn't deny it when you said it was because you would recognise her,"

"Well, she didn't speak at all but let's just assume that means she didn't deny it, then yes, continue," Wyatt urged,

"Then maybe she really did know us, and she was helping us," Lucy continued, Wyatt's expression was blank, "What if this girl is from a future where you were hit by that car? We can't guess what would have happened, but it definitely would not have been good. Now Flynn, Rufus, and I couldn't go back in time because we would see ourselves from the future…" Lucy paused to allow Wyatt to catch on. His eyes began to grow wide in realization, "But who's to say we couldn't-"

"Send someone else back to save me," Wyatt finished. He dragged his hands through his hair and rubbed his forehead,

"So you think that there was a future where I was struck by that car. Then, you all went to the future, got some random girl to push me out of the way, and now we're here?" Wyatt clarified,

"Yes, but I don't think she's some random girl, she must be important," Lucy insisted,

"Well, obviously not because the internet hasn't heard of her," Wyatt said, motioning to where the facial recognition softwhere displayed a red "No Matches" alert,

"We can't double back to a time we've already travelled to, including the pilot," Lucy said, "Rufus was there with us, meaning-"

"The girl can pilot the time machine."

"That's a very big insinuation," Flynn said, unconvinced at the theory Lucy and Wyatt had shared with him and Flynn,

"How would anyone else know how to pilot the lifeboat besides Emma and Jiya? Even then, Jiya can barely do it and Emma does not seem like the teaching type," Rufus insisted, shaking his head,

"Well thats just it!" Lucy said, "Its the most simple solution, if Rufus hasn't taught anyone to pilot it yet then-"

"He taught her in the future," Wyatt finished. Rufus and Flynn exchanged skeptical glances,

"Convince me," Flynn said.

"No matches for facial recognition," Wyatt called, motioning to the monitor, "Now, this system uses every single US government database to process the facial features of a subject. The chance of someone not appearing anywhere, ever, is approximately .02%,"

"Now," Lucy started, "This is either a case of crazy odds, or," She paused, a smile cracking on her face, "She doesn't exist. Not yet,". Flynn stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his face in a permanent expression of skepticism. Rufus shrugged, starting to believe the circumstances.

"If the accident just happened, as in 2 hours ago for us, wouldn't we have returned to our present?" Flynn asked, "right here, right now, meaning whomever we sent back to 1942 we would know right now,"

"Well, not necessarily," Rufus interrupted, "There are cases of people experiencing major accidents and not showing any trauma until much later," The room was staring at him, urging him to continue,

"Th-There was a case in Florida a few years ago, a man fell off a bridge into a shallow ravine. He practically walked away. Four years later, he's rushed to the emergency room, losing feeling in his legs. Turned out the fall shattered some part of his spine, but it wasn't until he exhausted its use when he became paralyzed." Lucy was smiling, despite the story, and gestured to Rufus,

"Perfect," She said, receiving odd looks from Wyatt and Flynn, "I mean, if the ramifications of the accident appeared in Wyatt in, lets say, five years, then this girl might have been our only option to go back and stop the accident."

"It's a stretch," Flynn said, shaking his head,

"Yeah, so is bending the laws of physics every few days to chase fugitives through time," Wyatt retorted. Lucy stifled a laugh, attempting to disguise it as a cough.


	3. The Girl with the Bread

So here is where the real story starts to pick up, so please review and let me know if it's worth continuing. Thanks peeps.

-2 Years Later-

"Crap crap crap!" Wyatt yelled, dropping out of the lifeboat with a painful crash. Rufus followed suit, swearing under his breath,

"Where's Emma?" Wyatt shouted at Jiya,

"Where's Lucy and Flynn?" Jiya questioned back. Wyatt slammed the desk but Jiya did not flinch, "And where's the mothership? What happened?"

"Emma's guys got us, but they wouldn't let us all go," Wyatt said through labored breaths, "They kept Flynn and Lucy, then took off with the mothership. Now, where are they?" Jiya sat down, shaking her head,

"You realize the lifeboat is in horrible condition, right? It's a miracle you made it back here at all," She finished typing and pressed enter,

"C'mon, Jiya, they could be hurt," Rufus urged, leaning against the lifeboat. Jiya searched the screen, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She shook her head and grabbed a smaller device,

"What are you doing?" Wyatt asked,

"Shh!" Jiya cut him off and finished typing. She rose from her seat and hopped in the time machine,

"This should take you right where the mothership went," Her voice echoed throughout the lifeboat. She plugged it in and hopped out,

"Like I said, the lifeboat isn't functioning right. I got the coordinates and it should take you to the right time, but I don't know what it is." The boys looked at each other, nodded, and climbed inside. Rufus popped his head out,

"Thank you, Jiya," He whispered before kissing her on the cheek. He sat back down and prepared for the jump.

"All I see are trees" Wyatt adjusted in his seat as he regained his composure lost in the rough landing,"lots and lots of trees"

He climbed out of the Lifeboat, crashing hard on the ground. He sat up slowly, pulling a stick from behind his ear,

"Rufus," Wyatt coughed, "we're in the woods".

Rufus slowly emerged, grunting with every movement.

"Okay, that doesn't help, given every single period of time has woods" Rufus snapped. They stood slowly and examined their surroundings,

"All right," Rufus breathed, "let's look on the bright side"

"What bright side," Wyatt snapped,

"We're not in the desert, or in the middle of a battle in World War II-" Wyatt shot Rufus a sharp stare,"or just forget I said anything"

They stood perplexed, unaware of what to do next. Emma had Flynn and Lucy, somewhere in this area at this time period,

"The lifeboat isn't functioning correctly," Rufus said while tinkering with a black device, "we don't know where-much less when-we are, just that this exact spot is where the mothership was last"

Wyatt took a few steps forward and continued to inspect his surroundings,"well we've gotta start by finding any sort of civilization-if that even exists when we are-"

"Shh" Rufus cut him off,

"What"

"Shh" Rufus turned his ear towards the trees, "I hear something",

After a few seconds, Wyatt heard it-shouting. Faint and distant, the sound barely broke through the trees. Rufus and Wyatt set off to follow the noise. They weaved through the forest until they found themselves at the edge of a cliff.

The view from the cliff was something neither of them expected to see. At first, it seemed like any average 21st century city block. Buildings, sidewalks, and storefronts. It wasn't until the initial shock wore off when the men truly saw it- It seemed as if everything, including the sky, was tainted grey. The buildings were crumbling, uninhabited floors where almost every other window in sight was shattered. Rubble lined the sidewalks, almost as if the buildings, one by one, were shedding their bricks. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, as if nobody had inhabited this block for years. Looking down, Wyatt and Rufus saw a figure bolting across their vision.

It was a girl. A teenager, she was weaving in and out of the cement rubble on the ground. The pale bag at her side bulged as she snuck panicked looks behind her.

"What's she running from?" Rufus asked, ducking behind a fallen tree,

"If I was a betting man," Wyatt whispered, "I'd say that gang of men chasing after her,"

As if on cue, 5 men twice her size came climbing over the rubble, swords and knives in hand. Their shouts echoed through the abandoned square, loud enough that the girl turned, staring at her pursuers. She reached under her purple, torn sweatshirt to pull a knife with a blade of what looked like almost 8 inches,

"Wyatt, what do we do?" Rufus hissed. Wyatt shook his head

"We can't interfere, what if she's meant to die?"

"Wyatt, look, do you remember learning about this in history? A city destroyed anywhere near modern times?" Rufus pointed at the rubble that was once a city,"Look at her clothes-they're modern, or modern enough. Wyatt, we're in the future"

Wyatt's mouth dropped in realization, he shook his head,

"Not possible…" He muttered,

"Yes possible! So what if we are meant to save her! What if she is the future president of this god-forsaken place!"

That was enough to set Wyatt off toward the square, where the girl was stumbling along, her pursuers gaining on her. Wyatt stumbled as well, struggling to find even footing over the mountains of unhinged rock. Just as he was descending the last few rocks, he saw a metal pipe protruding from the ground, just feet from where the girl was heading,

"She's gonna fall." Wyatt whispered to Rufus, "She's too scared, she's not going to see the pipe,"

Picking up speed, the two, as stealthy as possible, descended the hill in attempt to sneak up on the pursuers somehow.

She was breathing heavily, her vision fading with exhaustion, _just a little more,_ she thought to herself _, almost there._ "YOU'RE DEAD, BITCH!" The men screamed behind her. She whipped her head around to see the 5 men closer than ever, she had a twenty-maybe thirty foot lead, not enough to make it where she needed to go. As she turned her head forward, she felt her foot catch on something on the ground, something hard. Pain surged through her ankle as she tumbled forward, rolling a few feet before coming to a painful halt.

"Mmmh ow," She grunted to herself, attempting to sit up on her elbows. Her hand shot to her head where she felt something wet on her forehead-blood. She opened her eyes, staring into the twisted face of the gang leader, Malcolm Red. His piercing blue eyes turned in anger, his chapped lips curled into a snarl,

"Well, well, well, look who we have here!" He stroked her face and motioned to his men. Two hands grasped each arm firmly, dragging her to her feet. Their hands stayed firmly on her upper arms,

"Emilia, why is it always you, huh?" Malcolm turned his back to her, facing his other three men, "I'm starting to feel she has a crush on me, huh boys?"

The men hollered in reply, causing Emilia to flinch, sending a wave of pain through her head,

"Aww is the little princess _hurt_?" Malcolm said, each word with more fire than the last. He grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her to the gravel, "Where's your Daddy to protect you?"

Emilia breathed heavily as Malcolm approached her, kneeling down to level with her bloody face,

"Is he gone?" He smiled, "He left you, didn't he? I saw him!" Malcolm grasped her chin, bringing her face uncomfortably close to his,

"And now I know," He smiled and brought his mouth to her ear, "You're all alone" He whispered, drawing back just so she could see his crooked smile, laughing. Emilia's hand crept to her waistband where her knife was concealed,

"It's too bad," Emilia whispered, "I don't need anyone else", Her hand shot from her waist, plunging the knife into Malcolm's leg. His scream shot through the square, causing the other 4 men to take up arms, lounging for Emilia,

"Wait!" Malcolm said through heavy breaths, "Don't kill her"

"What?" The man holding Emilia questioned,

"We're running out of Girls at our camp," Malcolm's smile reappeared, his hands dripping with his own blood, "I think sweet little Millie here will be a perfect addition," He limped his way to her, "I always like mine with a little fire in 'em"

Emilia struggled against the man holding her, just as she saw another man appear from behind a rock. The man held a gun in his hands, slowly approaching the gang from behind. He made eye contact with Emilia, placing a single finger on his lips. She squinted her eyes, not believing the face of the man before her. It wasn't him, though. It couldn't be.

"Well, Emilia," Malcolm grasped her chin, "I hope that pathetic loaf of bread was worth it-" Emilia spit in his face, he retaliated with a slap that sent her to the ground,

"Don't you ever-" Malcolm started,

"Oh shut up, asshole" A voice said from behind. The man with the gun stood confidently as the gang stared, baffled by the weapon,

"Where the hell did you get your hands on that?" Malcolm asked, mouth wide open. Before Malcolm could finish, Emilia swung her legs under him, sending him barreling to the ground. All hell broke loose as another man, a black man, joined in. Hands came over Emilia, ones she fought against, kicking and punching sending them to the ground. She stood tall, confident in her hand-to-hand combat skills. Using the opponent's size against them, she weaved in and out of their battles. Wyatt was yet to use the gun-he flipped his opponent, kicking him in the head to knock him out. Emilia was watching him with fascination when she felt two burly arms encircle her from behind. She fought against him, kicking back wherever she could,

"We'll find you," Malcolm's vicious voice whispered into her ear,"You can't escape from us, little rabbit-"

"Let her go!" Wyatt shouted, aiming the gun at them both. Malcolm laughed, his mouth uncomfortably close to her ear,

"You won't risk hitting her-" Malcolm barely got the first words out when Emilia kicked back his legs, sending him flipping over her body onto the ground. She sent blow after blow into his stomach. Rufus shouted for her to stop but she couldn't hear him-her rage fueling every kick she delivered. Wyatt pushed her aside, aiming the gun at Malcolm,

"Who are you?" Wyatt asked. Malcolm said nothing. He shot up-knocking Emilia to the ground when a blast went off. She could barely process the scene in front of her, Malcolm's limp body sprawled on the ground, blood slowly pooling underneath him.

It was quiet, the two men stood over Malcolm's body, their eyes wandering until they met Emilia's. Her face was dirty, caked in blood and mud. Her features were practically concealed because of this and Emilia couldn't have been more grateful. She lay there supported by her elbows, pain in almost every muscle.

Her eyes widened, she searched for her knife, only a few feet away.

"Wait," Rufus said, "I know you're scared but we aren't here to hurt you,"

She narrowed her eyes, inching back slightly,

"It's true," Wyatt insisted, "We saw them trying to hurt you, so we stopped them." he approached her slowly "I'm Wyatt, this is Rufus. We're here trying to find our friends." Emilia stared between the two, silent.

"Bad men, like these guys, they took them. Took them here and we think they are going to hurt them," Wyatt said, looking back at Rufus then to Emilia,"we aren't from around here, do you think you could help us?" Wyatt asked, offering his hand to help her up. Emilia thought silently, and slowly took his hand, hoisting her to her feet,

"I heard them say your name was Emilia," Wyatt said, rubbing his hands together, just now realizing the extreme cold. Emilia nodded,

"But everyone calls me Emmie" She said with her eyes to the ground,

"Well, Emmie," Wyatt said, hand outstretched, "Nice to meet you," Emmie smiled and shook his hand,

"Nice to meet you, too" Emmie whispered, shaking hands with Rufus as well, "Thank you for that," She gestured to the surrounding bodies, "I kinda had myself in a pickle"

Wyatt and Rufus chuckled,

"You can pay us back by helping us," Wyatt said,

"To get your friends back?" Emmie asked. Wyatt nodded,

"Like I said, we aren't from around here. We need to ask you some questions. As payback for saving you, you gotta help us and you can't ask us questions, okay?" Emmie nodded, "Emmie, weird questions. They won't make sense but please, help us." Emmie said,

"We should get moving, it's not safe to be out after dark."

"Why not?" Rufus asked. Emmie looked at him, perplexed,

"Like I said," Wyatt shrugged, "No questions."


	4. And Then The World Went To Shit

"Flynn?" Lucy's quiet voice softly broke the silence,

"I'm here," Flynn replied, fiddling with the zip tie binding his hands together. The room they were in was pitch dark and almost completely silent. The only constant noise was the rhythmic dripping of a drain pipe Flynn assumed was just to the right of him. The floor was a cold and hard cement, a contrast to the humid air filling the room,

"Any progress?" Lucy asked. She was referring, of course, to any potential escape plan. Lucy sat bunched in the corner, her bound hands tracing the thread of her jeans. She tried to block out the sound of the water slowly dripping, making her mouth water from thirst. She couldn't remember the last time she ate something, she couldn't even remember how long she'd been in that room,

"No, Lucy," Flynn murmured, "No progress, not yet." Lucy exhaled loudly, leaning her head back against the wall behind her,

"Wyatt and Rufus will find us," She whispered, not knowing whether she was telling Flynn or herself, "They will,"

.

"Alright, Emmie, first question," Wyatt said, quickening up the pace to walk side by side next to her. Emmie looked up at him, shrugged, and looked back down at her feet,

"Go for it,"

"What year is it?" Wyatt asked. Emmie twisted her face, out of confusion or frustration, Wyatt couldn't tell.

"Different people will tell you different things around here," She explained, "I gotta pal who's kept it pretty straight, got a talent for that kinda stuff, he'll tell you it's 2039."

"Why doesn't anyone know?" Rufus asked. Emmie shrugged,

"Most never cared, some tried but failed. Without the seasons, it's hard to keep track," She kicked a rock across the torn up street, "pretty much everyone's got bigger fish to fry." Wyatt sighed,

"How old are you?" He asked. Emmie hesitated, but covered up her hesitation with a cough,

"Don't know what month it is so I can't be sure," She wiped her brow where the blood was still fresh and rubbed her wet fingers together, "If it really is 2039, then I'm somewhere between 16 and 17." Wyatt shot out his hand and placed it on Emmie's arm to stop her,

"What happened here? To the city?"

"You want the whole story?" The men nodded,

"Alright," Emmie cleared her throat, "But not now. Food first, explaining later"

They ducked under the low hanging ceiling as they descended the stairs of what used to be a bookstore. The place was tiny with a ceiling that hung so low that Rufus was at risk of hitting his head at any moment. The walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with what seemed like all of Emilia's possessions. Though books covered about ¾ 'ths of the shelf, they were accompanied by cans of beans, old ipads, dog collars, and notebooks. Scavenged items. The rest of the abode was filled with chairs and blankets, none of them quite a match to the others. The furniture was assorted in a circle, facing an iron stove at the center. Chalkboards sat at the entrance displaying sales prices of books,

"Why haven't you erased those?" Rufus asked, gesturing to the boards, "it seems like a random thing to keep displayed," Emilia just barely looked up from the bag she was ruffling through on the ground,

"This was my mom's favorite place growing up. When we first took shelter here a few years back, she couldn't bring herself to erase it," A faint smile flashed across her mouth but was gone in a second, "and I guess I couldn't either,". Emilia set her possessions on the oriental rug beneath her.

"What happened to her?" Wyatt asked. Emilia's hand halted mid-reach. Her eyes slowly met Wyatt's,

"Who?" Emilia said, knowing full well what he was asking,

"Your parents, where are they?" Rufus asked. Emilia stood up quickly and paced to the entrance, running into Wyatt's shoulder in the process. She inspected the shelves, searching for a specific item,

"You asked what happened," Emilia said, back turned to the men. She faced the bookshelves, fingers carefully sliding across the old wood, "Different people will tell you different things. Dates that don't quite correspond-illnesses that vary. Overall, let's just say it was a shitshow,"

"But what was?" Rufus said, jolting Emilia to face them. She scoffed slightly, shrugging her shoulders,

"Everything."


	5. The Word As They Knew It

**So sorry for the delay, college new and weird. Please leave reviews and tell me if I should keep going with this. I actually have the whole thing written, so if you guys want to keep reading, let me know and I can continue posting. Thanks!**

 **. .**

"Wait we're in California?" Rufus gaped, dumbfounded. Wyatt shared the feeling of disbelief-this city was nowhere near any place Wyatt could recognize,

"San Fransisco to be exact," Emilia nodded. She handed them a cup of lukewarm water and sat down across them. They shared a look then urged her to continue,

"My Dad always said it started in January of 2030. It was slow and not many people noticed that the toddlers and teenagers started getting sick. Very very sick," She paused as if recalling a brutal memory, "Nobody over 20 was getting sick, it was like this disease specifically targeted the children. Of course, nobody noticed this at the time. Everyone feared for only themselves, not noticing there was a clear target of the disease." She cleared her throat, "It started with rashes, then bleeding from the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, and nobody knew how to stop it. Nothing was helping, and it wasn't until it was too late when people realized this disease was deadly

"The country went into crisis mode. Everything was shut down, nobody had expected this to grow so big in a matter of months. All protocols were futile-no matter what happened, people just kept getting more sick...the pain just kept growing and growing. So, the country stopped trying to heal and they put all efforts into containment and prosperity despite the disease.

"They chose California because it was the only state big enough and diverse enough in climate to hold people from all over the country. Not to mention almost every child in the state was infected with pretty much no hope of recovery. They sent out a notice- all children sick from disease were ordered to be brought here, no matter where they lived originally. Everyone else- everyone healthy-was urged to leave. They placed us with the older kids. Anyone 16 or older was given a child to care for-,"

"Us?" Wyatt asked,

"You were one of the children infected," Rufus stated, eyes wide with realization,

"You have to understand there was not one healthy child within a 50-mile radius of Los Angeles," She shook her head slowly, "It was devastating,"

"What about the children's families?" Wyatt whispered,

"Most left, believing the government when they said they would administer us a cure as soon as it was found,"

"Let me guess, one was never found," Rufus stated,

"Just…" Emilia whispered, "Just listen." She exhaled, wanting to stop reliving her past. She persisted, however, pushing through the pain,

"Everything was abandoned. California was treated as a different country; walls 18 feet high stretched along every border, never letting anyone in or out. It was ruled under Martial Law. Military automatons in gas masks made all the rules, and they showed no mercy when the rules were broken. They gave us a date- by September 7, 2030, wherever you were- inside the wall or outside- that was where you stayed. Indefinitely.

"And you were inside," Wyatt said,

"Yes, along with my parents,"

"What?" Rufus's yelp was one of surprise. He and Wyatt exchanged a glance,

"Why did they stay?" Wyatt asked,

"They didn't trust the government to keep their promises," She elaborated, "They wanted to stay here. They wanted to help as many children as possible to live away from the tyranny of the state. They knew they weren't at risk because the disease wouldn't affect them. They were high enough up in the world to know that it specifically targeted children,"

They were all silent then, processing her words. She started after a pause,

"Everything from then on is pretty self-explanatory. The kids got older and formed gangs, those gangs eventually ruled parts of the city. They tried multiple times to round up everyone, administer tests and new drugs, but it never worked. So, everything went to shit and here we are."

"That's horrible," Rufus whispered, fidgeting with a can of beans. Wyatt's face was twisted in thought,

"What about your parents? Where are they now?" He asked. Emilia's face was unreadable, her eyes fixed at an object in the distance,

"My mom went missing not long after they closed the walls. Maybe 5 months in, the government announced a potential cure that everyone could receive at village hall. I was sick at this point, really sick, and my parents didn't know if I'd make it through the night," She hesitated at the painful memory, "My dad said it was too dangerous and wouldn't let her leave. But, being the stubborn woman she is, she left in the middle of the night," Emilia finally raised her eyes from the patterned carpet to look at Wyatt in the eyes, "She never came back."

"What happened to her?" Rufus asked,

"We never saw her again. People have told us she's been spotted places, but it's usually too far or dangerous to travel to. Stuff like that is always a trap,"

"I don't understand," Wyatt interrupted, "Where's your father?"

"A few weeks ago, we got a tip that she was spotted not too far from here," Emilia exhaled, rising from her chair, "It was a trustworthy source and didn't seem too risky. So he left, took off to find her," She was stroking the books placed on the wooden bookshelf, eyes not quite focused, "Even though she's probably dead by now."

"You don't know that," Wyatt said, rising to walk toward her,

"But I do!" She whirled around, "She's been missing for seven years, a girl doesn't last that long in a place like this," She was practically yelling, fists clenched, "She's dead, and my father left me to fend for myself,". Emilia was breathing hard, her face twisted in anger. She took a deep breath and turned around to the bookshelf. Poised on the old wood was a series of thin books, arranged by color in their faded sleeves. Each book had the same font cascading down the spine, a black and playful writing. Wyatt squinted his eyes, attempting to read the titles,

Peering over the pot in the center, Emilia spoke up again,

"I'll get you guys some more water," She mumbled. She reached into a wicker basket and pulled out two small pieces of a baguette. She handed them to Wyatt and Rufus before exiting through a doorway with a blanket draped over the entrance. Wyatt stood, taking a bite out of his bread,

"Wyatt!" Rufus hissed. Wyatt waved him off, "Wyatt, what are you doing?"

He reached the spot where Emilia had been, bending down to see the books on the shelf. They were covered in a coat of dust- all except for 4. Wyatt reached and pulled out a faded red book, slowly turning it to read the title.

His mind barely had time to process what he had read when he heard Emilia's footsteps approaching. His mind and heart racing, he shoved the book back into the shelf and plopped down next to Rufus. Noticing his discomfort, Rufus placed a hand on Wyatt's shoulder,

"What's wrong? What did it say?" He asked, eyeing the sweat running down Wyatt's face. Wyatt gulped, taking in a deep breath,

"Not here," He whispered, "Not here,"

.

Emilia had long gone to sleep. The little hole in the wall shop only had two rooms: The main room and what had obviously been the office. Emilia gave the two men an extra (very uncomfortable) blanket with two sweatshirts they could ball up to use as makeshift pillows. She stayed in the office, the door just slightly ajar,

"Okay," Rufus whispered, "She's asleep, now tell me what you saw," Wyatt looked back, making absolutely sure Emilia wouldn't overhear. He got up, slowly creeping towards the bookshelf,

"Remember 1750? When we were captured by that Native American tribe?" Wyatt whispered, still inching toward the bookshelf, "We all thought we were going to die. Rufus, you told us how you felt about Jiya. We were terrified. And Lucy," He stopped, the memory of her rattling him, "She told us about these books that her mother used to read her. They were these children's stories about historical figures. 'Churchill, for kids'," Wyatt reached out and pulled three books from the shelf, sneaking back to where Rufus sat on the blanket. Wyatt handed Rufus the red book,

"Oh my god," Rufus breathed. There, sitting in his hands, was a small cartoon Albert Einstein gesturing to a blackboard. On that blackboard, in white cartoon lettering, was the title: _Einstein; For Kids._

"This could just be a-"

"Crazy coincidence, I know," Wyatt cut him off. He examined the room, the dark candlelight barely illuminating the shelves, "It makes complete sense that those books would be here, but something tells me it's not a coincidence. And I think you feel it too,"

Rufus nodded,

"I also know Emilia is hiding something, that has been obvious from the start-"

A loud bang interrupted their conversation, followed by a frazzled Emilia running into the main room,

"You heard that, right?" She said breathlessly. Both men nodded, eyes searching the small store for the source of the sound. They turned in circles, cautiously listening until the faintest of a whisper tore through the soundless store,

"Is that you, Little Rabbit?" The voice hissed. Wyatt watched Emilia's eyes grow wide in terror,

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Emilia breathed. She lounged for her red backpack and proceeded to shove the nearest objects into the bag,

"What's happening? Who is that?" Rufus ran over to her, panic in his eyes. Emilia responded without looking up,

"It's Malcolm. I have no idea how he found us but we have to leave," She dashed across the room, stuffing objects into her bag,

"I thought Wyatt shot him! He should be dead!" Rufus shouted, following Emilia. She turned around, stopping Rufus in his steps,

"Obviously not dead enough!" She hissed. While she was preoccupied with escape, Wyatt inched over to the bookshelf, stealing the same book he had just been discussing. Zipping it into his own bag, he approached Emilia,

"Is there another way out?" He asked as she was quickly tying her hair up into a ponytail,

"Of course," She said breathlessly, grabbing a stool from the corner, "Move." She gestured to the boys. They tumbled back, allowing her to plop the stool down a few feet from the center of the room. She stepped on the stool in a hurry as another bang sounded from the outside of the building. Rufus heard Emilia swear under her breath,

"What are you doing?" Wyatt asked. She was on her tippy toes, pushing up on the ceiling tile,

"Give me a second!" She shushed him. Just as the ceiling tile came loose, she lost her balance, prompting Wyatt to still her,

"Okay, I need a boost up, but we can climb out through here," She said with less confidence than Wyatt would have hoped. Rufus and Wyatt shared a quick glance, but proceeded anyway,

"Alright, on three," Wyatt said, locking his fingers together in front of her. Another bang sounded out, this time coming from the front door,

"One," Wyatt shouted, squinting at the ceiling. This time, a cracking sound came from the door, signaling that the door would not hold for much longer,

"Three!" Emilia shouted, leaping through the hole in the ceiling. She grunted as she pulled herself through, finding herself in complete darkness. Wyatt and Rufus waited for a sign to follow,

"Come on, guys!" They heard her voice echo through the building. Wyatt let Rufus go first, slowly climbing his way up and Wyatt quickly followed.

He found himself in a room- a small, concealed room but a room nonetheless. There was nothing in the space for illumination and once Emmie placed the ceiling tile back where it was before, the room was completely dark.

"What now?" Wyatt whispered, unsure who the question was directed at,

"Got it!" Wyatt heard Emilia whisper from a few feet behind him, "This latter leads to the roof, let's go," She whispered. Even though it was pitch dark and Rufus knew full well nobody could see him, he rolled his eyes at the idea of climbing a ladder three stories to the top of a building. Though hesitant, Rufus followed suit, the fear of what lay beneath him outweighing the fear of what lies above him.

It seemed like hours before they finally reached the top, where a large metal hatch loomed over them. In the pitch darkness and eerie silence, the sound of their breathing was loud and prominent. After a few small taps echoing throughout the shaft, the latch swung open, illuminating their surroundings with the dim gray of the sun. Emilia quickly crawled out, leaving Rufus and Wyatt behind.

Wyatt hoisted himself up after Rufus and stopped in his tracks. Before him was the entire city of San Fransisco, wasted away to rubble and dust. From afar, the differences are minimal, yet eerie nonetheless. But, looking closer, it was impossible to miss the shattered glass of every building, the exposed brick, detached concrete, and complete silence of the once bustling city,

"My god," Wyatt breathed, his eyes unable to look away. Emilia looked back at the two men, paralyzed in their realization of how truly horrible the city was. Emilia cleared her throat, loudly enough to cut through the silence of the rooftop,

"We should go," She said quietly, almost ashamed of subjecting them to the horrid sight. Rufus and Wyatt nodded quickly, closing the metal hatch.

They climbed down the side of the building, careful to make as little noise as possible. The rusty ladder was painful against their palms, squeaking with every step. Once they reached the alley, Emilia peeked around the side of the building to the entrance,

"Are they still there?" Wyatt whispered,

"Shh!" Emilia waved him off, gesturing for them to crouch against the wall. Wyatt squatted beside her, Rufus following. She sighed turning towards the men,

"So do you want the good news or the bad news?" Emilia asked, attempting to crack a smile. Rufus and Wyatt exchanged glances,

"Uhhh," Rufus mumbled,

"Malcolm and his men are still there, they're heavily armed and outnumber us by at least 20 men," Emilia said, peeling her bag off of her shoulders, "Meanwhile, we have about a 3 days supply of food, very little water, and a gun with 5 rounds left." She took a deep breath once she finished talking.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows, "You said there was good news"

"Oh, that" Emilia turned to face the building once again. Replacing her bag on her back, she rose to her feet, "I lied,-"

At that, Wyatt saw a figure emerge at the edge of the alley. His eyes widened, reaching for Emilia,

"Get behind me!" Wyatt shouted, drawing out his nearly empty gun,

"Wait!" the figure shouted, "Wait, Em it's me!" The man waved his hands around like a madman, slowly approaching the group,

"Ollie?" Emilia gasped. She put her hand out and lowered Wyatt's gun, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Well-" The boy stopped merely 10 feet away. He was tall and lanky, his brown hair and dark skin riddled with dirt, "I-I'm looking for you," He coughed awkwardly, his hands not quite finding a comfortable resting position, "Obviously,"

Emilia's face scrunched up in confusion, shaking her head, "Ugh, you dumbass," She whispered, running into his arms. They hugged, almost completely ignoring the dozens of men currently hunting them down,

"Um, guys?" Wyatt whispered, the kids both swinging around to look at him,

"Oh, hey Wyatt," The boy said as if they were old friends. At Wyatt's confused reaction, the boy's eyes went wide, "Wait, oh my god-"

"How the hell do you know my name?" Wyatt said, raising his voice. Emilia leaped in front of Ollie, holding her hands up defensively,

"We can explain, I swear, but right now we need to-" An explosion cut her off mid-sentence,

"They're going in the building!" Rufus shouted, peering over the corner.

"Which means we've got thirty seconds before they realize we're not in there," Emilia said

breathlessly, " So what do we do?"

The four exchanged glances, listening to the sound of voices echoing throughout the building. The group grew more anxious as the voices seemed to grow louder; they knew they were no longer inside. Wyatt exhaled, grabbing the gun from Emilia's hand and shoved it into Rufus' chest,

"We run"


	6. By Blood

"You ready?" Flynn's deep voice cut through the dark silence,

"Not at all," Lucy replied, willing her bound hands to stop shaking. She took a deep breath, listening to the sounds of the room. She heard footsteps, Flynn's heavy form making his way across the room towards her. Though she could barely see the outline of his body, she could feel his eyes staring at her terrified form,

"We don't have to do this-"

"Yes we do," Lucy cut him off, shaking her head, "I'll be okay, just make sure you get out and find Wyatt and Rufus. They're here," She took in a shaky deep breath, "They're here looking I know it."

Despite the darkness, Lucy smiled to herself, a weak attempt to calm her nerves. As if he'd seen her uncertainty and her smile, Flynn reached out and grasped her trembling hands,

"We're going to get out of here, I swear. I'll find your boys and once you're free we'll all go back home," Flynn whispered, "Together"

The sound of the door's lock disengaging rang through the cell, causing Flynn to jump back and retreat to wall of the cell. He dropped to the floor, took one last glance at Lucy, nodded, and closed his eyes as if he had been sleeping the entire night.

Lucy took one last deep breath, allowing her chest to rise with an air of confidence. She sat directly across from the door, watching Emma waltz in followed by a man. Emma locked eyes with Lucy, bowing her head in greeting,

"Good Morning, Lucy," Emma smirked. She turned slightly to allow the man behind her to approach. Though she was sitting, Lucy could tell the man was tall; almost a foot taller than Emma, who had a few inches on Lucy herself. His dark hair and eyes were a contrast to his pale skin, riddled with dirt and sweat. His eyes were fixated on her with a look of intrigue. As she continued to examine his features, Lucy could swear his long face was familiar; she had seen this man before, but where? She shook he question off, focusing on Emma,

"Where am I?" Lucy asked, her voice carrying confidence she didn't know she possessed. The man chuckled, glancing at Emma and back to Lucy,

"For a woman with your experience, I'd assume you'd be more interested in 'when' rather than 'where'" Lucy narrowed her eyes,

"Does it even matter anymore?" She hissed, eyes glancing from the man to Emma. Emma chuckled, flashing an all knowing smile,

"For people like us, time starts to lose its significance doesn't it?" She sighed, pacing the room, "It's interesting, really, how scientists focused so much on the physical limitations of the human body- strength, speed," She paused, turning to face Lucy, "...time, yet didn't give thought to the mental consequences of putting someone through the blender of time,"

Lucy glanced between the two,

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Emma laughed,

"We travel through a medium no human was ever meant to travel through. It has consequences on us. For instance, a woman dropped years into the future, unable to recognize her own brother standing four feet in front of her,"

Lucy's eyes widened in realization. The man raised his eyes to meet hers. She dug deep in her memories to the day she confronted her father, the day a teenage boy had opened the door. Her brother.

"Ian. Oh my god, Ian," The face, she knew she'd recognized his face. Lucy slowly rose to her feet, bracing herself against the wall behind her. She had only seen his face once, briefly before speaking with her father, but there was no denying that this man, though decades older, was her brother, "How...how is this possible?"

"You're in the future; well, my present, your future," Ian said, his voice void of emotion. Ian Cahill, her half-brother, stood tall and terrifying, showing no intent to set her free

"I don't understand," Lucy whispered, tears in her eyes,

"I know," Ian breathed, taking a step towards his sister, "But you will,"

-l-

Their feet pounded the pavement, kicking up a cloud of dirt in their wake. The sidewalks were riddled with obstacles; bricks, car tires, and any random object one could think of were strewn across the dust-filled streets. Behind them, they heard Malcolm barking orders at his men, chasing them at a distance too close for comfort.

"Do we happen to have, oh I don't know, a destination!?" Rufus shouted through labored breaths. He trailed behind only slightly, whereas Emilia led the pack on the streets she knew so intimately,

"Yeah!" She replied, turning back only briefly, "We're almost there!"

"You sure about that?" Wyatt called, fumbling slightly over a loose bumper. Emilia looked forward, eyes scanning the abandoned streets,

"I hope"

```````````````l

"I may be your little brother," Ian spat, his fists clenching angrily, "But as of right now, in this reality, I'm 7 years older than you," Lucy was taken aback by this,

"You've been waiting for this…" Lucy whispered, her mind buzzing with thousands of thoughts, "But why? Why do you care? What happened to you?"

"Ian!" Emma shouted, but it was too late. Flynn had put their plan into action. WIthout thinking, Lucy followed through with the plan, rushing to Emma and pinning her against the wall. Flynn took a swing at Ian, landing a right hook that made a sound Lucy never wanted to hear again. He collapsed to the floor unconscious, his air of power and supremacy falling with it. Emma struggled in Lucy's grasp,

"It's not too late," Flynn urged, hesitating his escape, "We knock her out, make the escape together," Lucy shook her head, looking down at her brother,

"I have to find out what happened," Lucy explained, "The only way we can fix this is to understand what went wrong in the first place. Plus," Lucy paused, shaking her head, "I'm pretty sure this is all my fault," She looked from her brother to Flynn, tears forming in her eyes, "I can fix this, I have to."

Sadness and regret in his eyes, Flynn nodded in understanding. He took one last glance at Lucy before bolting out of the cell into freedom.


	7. Bliss

**I apologize for the sporadic updates, but only a month to go until season 2! Please leave reviews and encourage me to keep doing this, they help a lot. Thanks and peace out, people!**

* * *

They rounded a corner, following Emilia down a dark alleyway. The voices had receded, allowing for a much needed break,

"Please tell me we're almost there," Rufus panted, leaning against a rusted metal pipe,

"Do you want me to lie to you?" Emilia asked, handing Rufus a bottle of water,

"Yes," Rufus breathed, lifting the bottle to his lips,

"Then yes, we're almost there," Emilia smiled. Wyatt scoffed, taking the bottle from Rufus,

"And where is there?"

"Shh" Ollie shot his hand out,

"What-"

"Shh!" The boy said again, louder, "I hear something," As if on cue, the four heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Everyone shut up and get behind me," Wyatt commanded, taking both guns in his hands. "Now!"

They formed a clump behind Wyatt, extending both of his arms with the barely loaded guns in each hand. The footsteps were just seconds away before a voice cut through the wind,

"Rufus?" A familiar voice said. The man was not in sight, Wyatt and Rufus shared a glance,

"Flynn?" Rufus called, stepping out from behind Wyatt. At that, a head popped around the corner of the building, followed by the sound of laughter,

"Well you boys weren't hard to find," Flynn emerged, hands bound in front of him with a twist tie. Wyatt smiled, approaching the man with Rufus,

"Is Lucy with you?" Wyatt asked, reaching into his bag for scissors. He looked up at Flynn, his face falling,

"We had to make a decision," Flynn said. Wyatt breathed sharply, eyes wide with terror,

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"She's fine! And we can go back to get her, I told her we would," Flynn explained, cutting the restraints off, "But too much happened; all eyes were on her back there, there was no way we could both make it out."

* * *

"Boldogan tudatlan," Ian muttered, pacing back and forth in front of the chair Lucy was bound to. After Flynn's escape, it seemed like an army of men showed up, all there to prevent her from escaping. Ian was royally pissed, ordering Emma to track down Flynn before he made it to Wyatt and Rufus.

The men exchanged her twist-ties for proper handcuffs, binding her hands together and chaining them to a ring on the wooden chair between her legs as if this chair had been specially designed for chaining people to it. She pulled and pulled as Ian ranted, desperately trying to maneuver her way out of this. But at those words, the ones she didn't recognize, she halted her actions,

"What?" she asked, lifting her head. Ian turned to look at her, a blank expression on his face,

"Boldogan tudatlan. It's Hungarian," He replied. He stilled, turning his whole body to face her, "and so are we, by the way. Our father; not your mother,". Lucy was shocked by this; for a family with such ties to Rittenhouse, she'd assumed they were nothing other than British or German,

"Weird, right?" Ian said as if reading Lucy's mind, "Dad's mom, our grandmother, was born in Hungary. She was smuggled into the United States after World War I, found her way into Rittenhouse, and married our Grandpa Ethan," Ian stepped toward her, lowering himself to be on her eye level, "I heard he was a wonderful man, and you met him when he was younger, didn't you?"

"I turned him," Lucy spoke, narrowing her eyes, "I helped him. Against Rittenhouse, against his father," She met her eyes with his, pleading, "I can help you too. Just please, explain to me what happened,"

Ian rose to his feet and continued to pace across the room,

"Boldogan tudatlan. 'Ignorance is bliss'. We may have the same father, but you never had to live with the horrid man." Lucy was taken aback, both mentally and physically. "Because of you, he made my life a living hell."

* * *

"Just through these bushes, there's a compound. I got out through the vents, we go in the same way," Flynn whispered to the group,

"I'll go with Flynn, the rest of you stay put, find us a ride out of here," Wyatt shrugged his bag off of his shoulders, rustling through the contents,

"No," Emilia and Ollie hissed in unison. Emilia reached out and grabbed Wyatt's shoulder, facing him towards her, "You can't do this, I need to go in."

"Why the hell would I let you do that?" Wyatt asked,

"Just let me do this, please!"

"No!" Wyatt commanded. The group was silent as Wyatt took in a slow breath, "Lucy is my responsibility, she always has been. Flynn and I do this, that's final,"

Emilia sighed, taking a shaky step back,

"You're making a mistake," Emilia mumbled, shaking her head,

"Maybe," Wyatt said. He grabbed her elbow and drew her away from the others, speaking under his breath, "You're hiding something. We don't have time now but once this is all over," he paused, looking over to the compound, "You need to tell me everything,"

Emilia pursed her lips and nodded ever so slightly. Wyatt let her go, heading back over to Flynn,

"Let's go."

* * *

"You were able to live your life away from that monster," Ian's voice wavered, struggling to keep the tears from falling, "every decision I made was done for Rittenhouse. Everything! My college, my career," he stopped, almost too choked up to continue, "my family," Lucy shook her head,

"You had a choice-"

"No I didn't! From birth my father told me what I had to be, and you know what that was?" Ian asked, coming just inches away from her face, "your subordinate"

-/-i-

Wyatt heard the voices before he could see them. His knees were bruised from the trek through the vents, relieved when he finally heard the echoes.

"Just up ahead," Flynn whispered, coming to a stop at a 3-foot wide vent,

"You escaped through here?" Wyatt asked, baffled,

Flynn nodded, gesturing through the bars. Wyatt looked out to see Lucy, chained to a wooden chair in the center of the room. In front of her, a man stood tall, taller than he'd imagined- the man must have been over 6'5".

"So that's-"

"Ian" Flynn cut off Wyatt mid-sentence, shaking his head,

"Okay," Wyatt exhaled, "so what's the plan?"

* * *

A slight noise from the other side of the room drew Lucy's attention, but only for a second,

"See, you're everything my father wanted me to be. The firstborn, daughter of the two most important people in Rittenhouse history," Lucy shook her head in disbelief, "they were grooming you to be the next leader of Rittenhouse, Lucy."

"That's not possible," she whispered,

"Now I, on the other hand, was the pathetic youngest child, born to the second wife of Benjamin Cahill. Nothing about me is important. I had to work to be recognized and you-" he sneered, reaching out to touch her hair, "people worship the ground you walk on. And I was left to suffer with our father who was always so infinitely proud of you, and perpetually disappointed in me,"

"Ian, I understand how hard that must have been-"

"Oh, really? Our father gave everything to you!"

"Our father gave me nothing!" Lucy shouted, jerking her hands forward, forgetting she was bound to the chair, "I didn't even know who he was before I lost my sister. He never contacted me, never showed me that I mattered to him-"

"But you did," Ian whispered, "more than I ever could,"

"I'm sorry." Lucy said, searching his face for forgiveness, "But you're my brother, we're family,"

"Yes, we are," Ian stepped towards her, kneeling down to look into her eyes, "which is why I'm sorry it's come to this," Lucy's heart began to beat faster,

"Come to what?" She asked. However, she would never get an answer. At that, a panel on the wall burst open. Lucy barely had time to look to see Flynn fall, not too gracefully, to the ground. He shot up, charging at Ian. Another figure followed Flynn through the vent, tumbling out of the vent but recovering immediately,

"Wyatt!" Lucy called. He looked up, a smile forming across his face.

"Wyatt!" Flynn shouted, throwing a small object at him. Wyatt caught it with ease, opening his fist to reveal a small silver key. His smile grew wider as he slid over to Lucy, fumbling with the lock.

After a few seconds, the pressure on Lucy's wrists fell, tumbling to the ground with a bang. Lucy looked up at Wyatt in disbelief,

"You came," She laughed, reaching out to touch his face,

"Of course I did," he replied as if the insinuation that he would do anything else was baffling. She laughed once more, throwing her arms around his shoulders.

"Escape now," Flynn appeared behind Wyatt, blood running down his nose, "hug later, let's go,"


	8. Yet So Far

"They should be just through here!" Wyatt called through the trees. The cold air was causing their breath to release like smoke, the crispy wind tearing at their skin,

"You sure?" Lucy said, her voice shaking. She was wearing a light sweater with ripped jeans, neither suitable for the freezing weather. A low growl escaped from the trees, along with a beam of light,

"Wyatt," Flynn warned, grabbing Lucy's arm and pulling her away from the noise. The three heard shouting as well, the light and the noise growing louder and louder.

"WOOOHOOO!" A voice shouted from the light. As it grew closer, Wyatt recognized the source of the sound,

"Rufus!" Wyatt called. He motioned for Flynn and Lucy and took off toward the noise,

"YEAH!" Another voice hollered. Wyatt smiled, laughing at Emilia's high pitched celebration. He could only imagine how much fun she was having right now. The car halted to a stop in front of them. The car was a bright yellow Lamborghini, rusted all over from age,

"How the hell did you manage this?" Wyatt laughed, leaping into the car,

"I'm telling you, Wyatt, this girl is good," Rufus said, motioning to Emilia.

"Who's this?" Lucy asked breathlessly. She looked Emilia, a soft smile on her face. Emilia could do nothing but stare, her mouth failing to form words. She was here.

Lucy Preston was here.

"I'm Ollie," Ollie piped in, reaching out his hand. Lucy shook it with a smile, "And this is Emilia," Emmie could do nothing but nod. She turned her focus to Wyatt, who was staring at her like a man who knew something everyone else didn't.

And Emilia was pretty sure he did.

The car lurched forward at the sound of gunshots behind them,

"Do you remember where we parked the lifeboat!?" Wyatt shouted over the chaos,

"Not really!" Rufus said, driving the car in circles around the city block. The five looked at each other, unsure of their next move,

"Ugh, do I have to do everything around here?" Emilia sighed, climbing over to the front seat. Her feet were steady as if she had practice maneuvering her way through speeding vehicles,

"Move!" She motioned to Rufus and he obliged, stopping the car momentarily. Emilia settled into the driver's seat, shifting the gear into drive,

"Emilia," Wyatt whispered,

"Yes?" She replied, buckling her seatbelt,

"Do you have any idea how to drive?"

Emilia adjusted the mirror, revved the engine, and turned to Wyatt. Her face cracked a slight smile as she pushed the hair away from her face,

"Nope,"

And she pressed on the gas pedal, hard.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Lucy shouted,

"I'm saving your asses!" Emilia replied, turning the car around,

"Why are we headed back towards the compound?" Rufus yelled, gripping the seat under him as if his life depended on it.

"Let's just say Wyatt was right about one thing," Emilia said, just merely avoiding crashing into an old boutique,

"And what is that?" Wyatt asked, turning to face the girl driving.

"We are hiding something," Ollie replied, flashing a menacing smile. As if clicking in his mind all at once, Wyatt turned to Emilia once more, actually noticing her features- her curly hair, her dark and freckled skin. He had seen her before.

"You're the girl from Nebraska, from 1942," He whispered, shaking his head. Coming to the same revelation, the others grew silent as well, "And you," he said, nodding at Ollie. As loud as their surroundings were, the silence at that moment was the most deafening of all. Emilia shifted uncomfortably,

"I still don't understand where we're going," Flynn piped in from the backseat, ever the voice of reason,

"Well, how do you think we got to 1942?" Ollie asked, lifting his eyebrow,

"No," Wyatt gaped,

"Yup," Emilia nodded, turning her head away from the road to face Wyatt. Her eyes beamed as her smile widened, "We've got one too,"

* * *

"There it is!" Emilia shouted, pointing to a small white orb in the distance. It was the mothership-or a mothership- sitting in a field just behind the compound. The car skidded to a stop, allowing for the passengers to all climb out. They parked on the grass about 300 yards away. Separating them from the time machine was a seemingly empty warehouse,

"We should take cover in there, wait until it's dark to head to the machine," Wyatt suggested, taking off toward the warehouse. The others followed, stepping into the dark and cold building.

A loud bang shocked the group into stillness. They looked at each other, all wondering the same thing,

"Was that-"

"A gunshot," Emilia cut Ollie off. They stood still a second more, unsure of the origin of the sound. Silence ensued for over a minute,

"I think we're in the clear-" Rufus began to say, but was cut off by the sound of rapid gunfire. The six of them scattered, scrambling for shelter from the bullets. A scream rang through the building, along with the sound of a body hitting the concrete,

"No!" Emilia screamed, running over to the body of her best friend. Ollie lay on the floor, blood pouring out of his abdomen. He looked up at Emilia, taking in heavy and shaky breaths. Emmie looked up, shouting at Wyatt,

"Help him, please!" Wyatt slid over, taking the boy and draping him over his shoulders. Wyatt grunted, lifting himself to his feet,

"Run, over there, quickly!"

The only illumination of the dark warehouse was the light from the gunshot blasts, repeating over and over again. There were merely seconds before one side would cease and the other would return fire. The team weaved in between scattered boxes and empty shelves, hoping for some sign of a way out. Emilia led, sneaking quick glances back at Wyatt and Ollie, the blood still pouring from his wound. Emmie stopped in her tracks, noticing the blood pouring out of his side with the illumination of the gunfire. Lucy ran into Emilia's still form,

"We have to keep going, Emmie," She shouted over the blasts. Emmie stood still, shaking her head. Lucy shook hers, grabbing Emmie by the arm and forcing her forward.

Flynn and Rufus trailed the girls, exchanging worried glances,

"He's not gonna-" Rufus started

"I know," Flynn said. They continued, slow enough for Wyatt to keep up.

Just as Lucy and Emmie were rounding the corner, the bullets halted. The group stopped in their tracks, glancing both at each other and at Wyatt, persisting and practically carrying the wounded boy. Just as Wyatt approached the group, all eyes turned to Emmie. Her eyes, however, were glued to her friend, gasping for air. Wyatt hobbled up to the team, gently placing Ollie on the ground. With sympathy in his eyes, Wyatt looked to Emilia. She glanced up at him, knowing exactly what his look intended,

"No," Emmie's voice broke the deadly silence ever so slightly. Her lip quivered, her hands shakily reaching for her bag and resting it on the floor, "No," She took one step forward, then another, until she wasn't walking anymore, but crawling on the cement floor. She inched toward his body, shaking and sweating.

"H-Hey Emmie," Ollie forced out, a line of blood dripping from his mouth. Emmie shook her head, suddenly forgetting every word she'd ever spoken, "You know me, I'm gonna be okay," His eyes blinked slowly, his body coughing up substances Emmie couldn't think to identify.

She was frozen, terror and anger overcoming her senses. But the worst emotion, the one holding her incapable of doing anything other than sobbing and crying and yelling, was the pain of slow and steady heartbreak. She took a deep breath, finally finding the courage to speak,

"Yeah, I know. You're too much of a stubborn bastard to die," She laughed. Somehow, through the tears and the pain in her entire body, she laughed, "You've always been so annoyingly stubborn,"

"Well look here," Ollie coughed, his head painfully hitting the floor, "Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black". There was sad silence then, the emptiness of words needed to be said while lacking the courage to say them. Emmie took a deep breath, closing her eyes,

"Ollie I'm so sorry," Emmie whispered, barely choking out the words. Ollie's brows furrowed, shaking his head slightly,

"Why would you be sorry?" Ollie forced out between labored breaths, "You've given me everything in my life, a home," He choked up, tears staining his face, "a family, and all the adventure I could have ever hoped for," He yelped in pain, his eyes squeezing shut. Emilia sniffed,

"Adventure?"

"Yeah," He breathed, "The things I've seen- we've seen- Emmie you gave me the opportunity to see the world, more than any adventurer ever has," Emmie's hand, shaking and stained with blood, reached out and took his. She stroked his palm, failing to stifle her cries,

"I love you, Ollie," Emilia whispered, just low enough for him to hear. Ollie scoffed, a smile cracking on his face,

"It's funny, I don't even really know what love is," he said, choking on his words. Emilia

furrowed her brows, shaking her head,

"Yes you do, you've felt it all your life," Emilia sniffed, looking for the first time at the faces around her, "you've had plenty to go around. Don't be stupid-"

"What does it feel like?" Ollie whispered, his eyes barely open and his voice barely a whisper. Emilia squeezed her eyes shut, allowing her tears to flow freely. Her hands, still shaking, gripped Ollies harder. Emilia took a deep breath, her voice quivering,

"Love is-" She choked, bringing her hand to Ollie's cheek. She took one more breath in, looked up, and sighed, "Love is comfort." She swallowed, wiping the tears from his face, "It's knowing that no matter where you are, if you have that person with you, then...then you must be doing something right,"

Ollie seemed to relax slightly, his hand squeezed hers ever so slightly,

"Comfort?" He asked,

"Yeah, like you're at home," Emilia nodded, "When you love someone, home isn't the same without them there."

"Oh," He breathed, eyes fluttering, "Then I think I-" He yelped in pain, convulsing until his body came to rest. Emilia held onto him tight, "I think I love you too,"

Emilia stifled a cry, bringing their joined hands to her mouth as she watched his eyes roll back into his head,

"No," Emilia whispered. She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, "No!" She said louder. She peeled over, resting her head on his chest. His completely and utterly still chest.

Sobbing, Emilia had barely noticed that the gunfire had started again. She felt two strong hands on her shoulders, pulling her up and away from Ollie's body,

"No, don't make me go!" Emilia cried. Wyatt held her back, strong against her weak resistance,

"I'm so sorry, Emmie," Wyatt whispered, "But we need to go," Emilia closed her eyes and sobbed, still as a statue,

"Emilia," Lucy said softly, a strange juxtaposition against the gunfire raging behind them, "Em, we have to go. There's nothing we can do now," Emmie's eyes stayed shut in protest.

Lucy looked to Wyatt, sharing the same look of concern. Lucy cleared her throat,

"Emilia, open your eyes," Strangely, the girl obeyed, her brown eyes meeting Lucy's, "Take my hand," She whispered. Emilia obeyed, gripping to Lucy's hand, "We have to get out of here, okay? There's nothing else you can do for him," Emilia nodded, tears still streaming down her face. She took a deep breath in, exhaling shakily,

"Yeah, you're right," She whispered, turning around and shifting her entire demeanor, "You're right. Let's go," She started towards the rear exit, a gaping hole in the wall. Directly across from them, like a sitting duck merely yards away, was the time machine.

"So," Flynn said, catching up to the group. The five of them stood in a row, the gunfire still echoing in the distance,

"How do we get across that field with no cover?" Lucy asked, turning to Wyatt

"And no weapons?" Rufus added. Wyatt shook his head, staring at the object as if it could somehow come to him. They had come so close, just yards away from the one thing that could save them.


	9. February 6, 2031

**Hi, all. I hope you're enjoying the story! The reviews really help me know if you guys actually like it, so please leave reviews if you can! Let me know whats working and whats not working, I'd love to hear feedback. It also motivates me to post more, it's really hard to keep updating a story if it seems like people aren't really into it. So please leave reviews! I also posted a one-shot I was _dying_ to write after the premiere. It's completely Lucy-centric (which is different than this fic that I consider Wyatt-centric) and it's about her finally getting the mental breakdown she deserves! It's called _Rules_ _of War,_ so it'd be cool if you all could check that out too. Sorry for the long blurb, but to sum it up: REVIEW PLEASE and read _Rules of War_! Thanks :)**

* * *

"So," Flynn said, catching up to the group. The five of them stood in a row, the gunfire still echoing in the distance,

"How do we get across that field with no cover?" Lucy asked, turning to Wyatt

"And no weapons?" Rufus added. Wyatt shook his head, staring at the object as if it could somehow come to him. They had come so close, just yards away from the one thing that could save them.

"You don't," A small voice said from behind them. Emilia was walking away, a pair of metal keys dangling in her hands. She spun to face them, her curly hair flying in all directions, "At least, let's make them think you don't" She smiled,

"Wait, Emilia!" Wyatt shouted. He started after her, but Flynn held him back,

"Let her do this, Wyatt," He said, watching her small form make her way back through the warehouse,

"What is she going to do?" Lucy asked, turning back to the mothership,

"She's going to distract them. She's going to make them think we're in the car," Wyatt said, shaking his head, "It's suicide," He breathed. Flynn pulled him forward, bringing him to the edge of the grass,

"Yes, so let's not lose this shot, alright?" They stared across the field, hearing the sound of the engine turning in the distance. The car burst forward, the tires screeching as she turned the car around and sped towards the time machine.

Bullets immediately started to fly, and every single gun was aimed at her. The car swerved and just barely missed crashing into the mothership. The rusted car turned quickly and barrelled into the tree line, followed by two cars of soldiers.

"Now!" Flynn called. The four of them bolted as fast as they could, still listening attentively to the car engine in the distance. They sprinted as if their life depended on it, their heavy breaths releasing in the cold air. Lucy's throat burned as her feet began to falter. She nearly forgot that she hadn't had anything to drink or eat in days. Acknowledging this, Wyatt fell back, grabbing her arm,

"Just a little farther," He whispered through labored breaths, "There's water in Rufus's bag, you'll be okay." Lucy nodded, not entirely believing his words of encouragement. The sound of distant bullets was growing louder now, but the four of them had almost reached the mothership-

"Hey!" A booming voice called. They turned to find Ian just in front of the tree line, his face twisted in confusion. Lucy turned to the team,

"Keep going and get into the machine as fast as you can," She shouted, grabbing the gun from Rufus and giving it to Wyatt. He checked the barrel, ensuring the gun was loaded,

"What about you?" Wyatt asked, becoming more anxious every second they stood out in the open,

"I have to fix this," Lucy sighed, "All of this, it's my fault."

"I can't let you do this-"

"You're not _letting_ me do anything, Wyatt. I'm doing this," She cut him off. Her eyes bore into his. She was so sure of herself, so strong in so many ways. Here they were, in the middle of a battlefield, and Lucy was too damn stubborn to let him be all he was meant to be: dumb and noble. Wyatt's voice caught in his throat, suddenly finding himself at a loss for words,

"I can't go back without you," He practically whispered. Lucy shook her head

"Of course you can. Forget about me, just go home,"

"I cant." Wyatt closed his eyes, taking a breath

"Why no-"

"Because Lucy," He blurted, pausing for just a moment. He barely noticed the chaos of the battle ensuing around them. Despite everything- the panic, the gunshots, the fire, Wyatt's body fell still, his eyes growing wide with realization. His lips parted, just barely "Because home isn't the same without you there,"

Lucy went still. Wyatt shook his head, checking his gun once more,

"Now you go and get yourselves as far as possible," He motioned to Flynn, "Watch over them for me, alright?" Flynn nodded. Wyatt turned to Lucy,

"I can do this, Luce. It's time to trust me." Lucy scoffed, shaking her head. She looked at the time machine, and back to Wyatt. She was unsure, not quite taking full steps back. Wyatt nodded at Flynn as he grabbed her arm, practically dragging her behind him.

Wyatt had no time to watch his friends get to safety. He turned toward where Ian was, who had most likely alerted his pals to the team's true location.

It doesn't matter now, they're safe.

She's safe.

He approached Ian, gun at the ready,

"I see you found my sister-"

"Just shut the hell up, man," Wyatt cut him off with a slap to the face. Wyatt expected a fight back when Ian was pushed out of the way by a soldier, ushered away by his lackeys. The soldier turned to Wyatt, grinning.

"Okay, you wanna dance?" Wyatt muttered to himself, "Let's dance."

The soldier swung at him and was almost too easy to dodge. He was about 6'2" and most likely 250 pounds, completely missing the element of surprise. His movements were premeditated and executed slowly, long enough to where Wyatt anticipated his every move a full 2 seconds before they came.

Wyatt returned the punch, his fist slamming into the soldier's jaw. He was stopped for only a second before the soldier drew a knife from his belt, raising his hands almost in slow motion-

And he stopped. Mid-swing, the man's eyes rounded, his mouth parting slightly. He stumbled forward, one foot after the other, until he tumbled down, revealing those two eyes Wyatt had never expected to see again,

"Emilia?" He breathed, dumbfounded. Despite the battle raging around them, he felt his lips crack into a smile,

"What, like I'd miss out on all the fun?" She quipped, pulling her blade from the man's back. She reached her hand out, "Give me that, I'll cover you guys,"

Wyatt looked at the machine where Lucy, Rufus, and Flynn had already safely climbed in, glancing back at Emilia,

"What about you?" He asked, knowing full well what her answer will be. She tilted her head, smiling that sad, all-knowing smile. She shook her head,

"There's nothing here for me anymore," Emilia practically whispered, her eyes full of defeat, "Ollie's gone, My mother's gone, and I can accept by now that my father..." Her voice became trapped in her throat, eyes meeting Wyatts, "that he's not coming back,"

Wyatt sighed, running his hand through his hair. He trusted this girl. He admired her even, for putting her life on the line for a group of people she'd barely known. He stared at her in awe-at the girl who had perplexed him for years. The girl who saved his life...twice now,

"Emilia-"

"February 6, 2031" She blurted, as if it took every bone in her body to try, and fail, to keep the words inside. Wyatt's eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

"What?"

"February 6, 2031, do not let Lucy leave the house," Her eyes bore into his own, her entire being becoming firm and still. Wyatt's heart started to beat faster, his mind starting to piece things together faster than he could keep up with,

"I don't understand-"

"Your daughter. She's going to be very sick; deathly even. You're going to fight all afternoon about whether or not she'll make it through the night," Tears formed in her eyes, her teeth biting her lip to keep it from quivering, "But I do. I will. And Lucy," She laughed, shaking her head, "Lucy will try to convince you to let her walk 5 miles to get medicine. She's stubborn and you fight all day; but she thinks I'm going to die...we all do."

Wyatt took a shaky step back,

"You tell her not to go," Emilia continued, her tears finally escaping from her eyes and trailing down her cheeks, "But she's too damn stubborn to let me die. She leaves. Wyatt, she leaves us," She reached out, taking Wyatt's hand in her own, "And she never comes back,"

Wyatt stood speechless, his mouth searching for the right words to say.

She's his daughter. She's Lucy's daughter. She's _their_ daughter,

"And I know," Emilia continued, pulling Wyatt into the bushes next to the machine, shielding them from oncoming bullets, "I know I'm not supposed to tell you. I know I promised I would never tell you the future. I just," Emilia broke off, staring at the time machine, "I forgot how beautiful her voice is. I forgot the way she smiles despite the complete shit that happens around her," She looked back to Wyatt, "I forgot what it was like to stare into my own mother's eyes and I couldn't help myself. I need you to know because maybe…" The gunshots grew louder, forcing them both to duck to the ground, "maybe you can save her,"

Wyatt barely had time to process her words when something exploded in front of them, causing a flame to erupt three feet from Wyatt's face. He shook his head clear, yet his mind was still soaring. He looked up to warn Emilia to run.

But she wasn't there. She was blown into the field. He stood, noticing the pool of red forming beneath her

"Emilia!" He called, rushing into the field. He stopped only for a second to check her pulse before scooping her into his arms, climbing painfully into the mothership,

"Oh my god," Lucy breathed, helping Wyatt set her down. Blood was pouring from a gunshot wound in her side, just above her hip-bone. Wyatt climbed into his seat and gestured for Lucy to hand the girl to him. He strapped Emelia in in front of him, keeping pressure on her wound,

"We can't risk her bleeding out, I have to try and stop the flow of blood as long as I can!'" His mind was racing as he held his daughter in his hands.

His _Daughter._

"But Wyatt-" Lucy breathed, shaking her head slowly, "are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

She doesn't know, Wyatt reminded himself, she doesn't know that this girl is their daughter. Emelia's breathing was ragged and fast as sweat beaded down her forehead.

"Yes," Wyatt said, his confidence enough to fill the room, "I'm positive," He nodded at Rufus as he piloted the mothership home.


End file.
